6.2. Glossary
Gigabit Ethernet Technology
Gigabit Ethernet is an extension of IEEE 802.3 Ethernet
utilizing the same packet structure, format, and support for
CSMA/CD protocol, full duplex, flow control, and management
objects, but with a tenfold increase in theoretical throughput
over 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet and a hundredfold increase over
10-Mbps Ethernet. Since it is compatible with all 10-Mbps and
100-Mbps Ethernet environments, Gigabit Ethernet provides a
straightforward upgrade without wasting a company’s existing
investment in hardware, software, and trained personnel.
The increased speed and extra bandwidth offered by Gigabit
Ethernet is essential to coping with the network bottlenecks
that frequently develop as computers and their busses get
faster and more users use applications that generate more
traffic. Upgrading key components, such as your backbone and
servers to Gigabit Ethernet can greatly improve network
response times as well as significantly speed up the traffic
between your subnets.
Gigabit Ethernet enables fast optical fiber connections to
support video conferencing, complex imaging, and similar
data-intensive applications. Likewise, since data transfers
occur 10 times faster than Fast Ethernet, servers outfitted with
Gigabit Ethernet NIC’s are able to perform 10 times the number
of operations in the same amount of time.
In addition, the phenomenal bandwidth delivered by Gigabit
Ethernet is the most cost-effective method to take advantage of
today and tomorrow’s rapidly improving switching and routing
internetworking technologies. And with expected advances in
the coming years in silicon technology and digital signal
processing that will enable Gigabit Ethernet to eventually
operate over unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling, outfitting
your network with a powerful 1000-Mbps-capable
backbone/server connection creates a flexible foundation for
the next generation of network technology products.
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